An extract from a short story… miaow

Once upon a time, there was a Little Black Cat. Her fur was black tipped with white underneath it, just as if she was wearing a long dress over a white petticoat. She knew she was beautiful even though she wasn’t a pure Oriental Cat. Her white flashes above her eyes didn’t make an upside down V as they should on an Oriental Cat – instead they appeared and disappeared depending on what angle you looked at her. Sometimes she just looked as if she didn’t have any white at all. Even so, she had a good home with lots of love and food and warmth.

One day her human lady took her to the doctor to have an operation. The doctor put a little thing in her just under her skin so she would be able to be found if she got lost. At first it felt funny but she soon got used to it.

As she grew up she felt the urge to find a Tom Cat so she started to go outside for longer and longer, looking for her Tom Cat. Her human man didn’t like the noise she was making so Little Black Cat began to spend most of the time outside, only coming in for food and a few minutes with her lady. As soon as Little Black Cat started Calling out, she was sent outside. It wasn’t fair.

Then one day she went out for a wander and covered many, many paws-length in search of a Tom Cat. She was out all night and kept on wandering and wandering until she realised she didn’t know where home was.

The Little Black Cat was lost.

After more walking, she found some friendly cats and toms and asked them if they knew where she lived.

“Do you know where my home is? It’s got lovely big warm things on the walls and a very nice human lady who feeds me lots of times,”

“No little one,” one big tabby cat answered. “We don’t live in houses any more. Some of us left our homes to go exploring, and some of our little cats were born outside or put outside without their mamas, so we don’t trust humans at all,”

“In that case, why are you here?” asked a cheeky little kitten who had beautiful cream fur and a splodge of brown on her face.

“I was Calling and wanted to get outside,” Little Black Cat said, not wanting to say she had been put outside.

“I think you annoyed her,” observed an old, thin tom. “When I was your age I had a human lady and yes, she gave me lots of food, but I was shut out when I started fighting and spraying. Its so much easier out here,”

The tom stretched his back upwards till Little Black Cat couldn’t see the middle of his back, before lying down again.

“Stay here with us, little one, you look as if you would give me some nice kittens next season, and I’d love to have some nice-looking kits before I die.”

“Oh sir,” Little Black Cat said shyly, “if I had met you when I was Calling I would have loved to have them for you, but now I just want to go home,”

“Oh well, your loss,” the tom said. He got up and sauntered off into the night.

“Where can I look for someone who might know where I live?” Little Black Cat asked the tabby cat.

“There are humans over there,” she replied. “Maybe some of their cats might know.”